


Doom of Solitude

by Chichirinoda



Series: Collared Visions Arc [2]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-06-21
Updated: 2011-06-21
Packaged: 2017-10-20 14:55:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/213970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chichirinoda/pseuds/Chichirinoda
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sollux' friends are concerned about his new relationship with Eridan. Eridan punishes Sollux for telling them what's going on, but with unintended consequences for both of them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Doom of Solitude

**Author's Note:**

> Written for kink_bingo for the prompt: confined/caged.

"Hey, so Fef, did you see wwhat a nice thing I wwent and did for Sol right there?" Eridan struggled to keep his face impassive, just a _little_ hopeful, but nothing too desperate.

He and Sollux had returned to the control room a while before, and Sollux had immediately been practically pouncegreeted by Karkat and Feferi and dragged to another part of the room. Eridan had been all but ignored, except for the glares they had shot him, at least at first. As the threesome chatted, the glares had turned to wonder, and confusion, and Eridan had been hard pressed not to smirk too much. Sol was playing his part, like Eridan had told him, though he couldn't actually hear what was being said, it was obvious from their reactions that they were re-evaluating Eridan and coming to new, more favourable conclusions.

It had been difficult to be patient and just chill, wait for the tide to come in, so to speak, but now Karkat and Sollux had gone off somewhere, and Feferi was alone. It was time, and he was trying to take advantage of the opportunity.

It wasn't going so well.

"Yes, I saw. I'm so glubbing EXCIT----ED for him!" Feferi said brightly, then sobered. "So what's the real reason you did such an unshellfish thing?"

"Wwhat?" Eridan exclaimed, affecting confusion. He had to play this cool, like he really was offended by her insinuation that he might not do something nice just because. "I don't knoww wwhat you mean, Fef. I can't do somethin' nice just because I fuckin' feel like it?"

Feferi leaned a little closer, her eyes narrowing behind her goggles. Oh shit. He knew that look. His eyebrows drew down and his heart started to pound a little faster. "Don't forget that I know you like I know my own gills, Eridan! You're waxing black for Sollux, not red. And you'd never do ANYFIN just because it's the nice fin to do. Besides, you were sure gone a whale of a long time!"

"That's not true, Fef--"

" ** _HEY. FUCKASS._** "

Karkat and Sollux had emerged from wherever they had gone, and Karkat's shout echoed off the walls. Eridan turned to look and started in surprise. Karkat looked more pissed off than usual, his fists clenched and his teeth bared, and he was looking straight at Eridan. Sollux was staring at the floor, rubbing his neck just beneath the collar.

 _You dirty, rotten, little wworm._

"Wwhat is it, Kar?" Eridan asked as innocently as he could manage.

"Get your evil, twisted set of shame globes over here _right the fuck now_ ," Karkat snarled. "We need to talk."

Eridan glared at Sollux, who didn't look at him. In fact, Eridan thought he was cringing a little under his stare, and that felt pretty good. Let him cringe, the dirty little commoner. You would think someone with a speech impediment that bad would be able to keep his fucking mouth shut for ten seconds.

"Sure, Kar," was all he said out loud as he walked over towards the smaller troll. Sollux walked towards Feferi, but Eridan grabbed his arm as they passed each other, stopping him. He leaned close to one pointed ear. "You already forget what happens if you piss me off, Sol?"

Sollux was so tense his body seemed to vibrate like a plucked string under Eridan's hand. "I didn't forget, okay. I'm thorry."

"You can grovvel later," Eridan hissed. "Don't tell Fef."

"Get the fuck away from him, you sick perverted fucktard," Karkat snapped. "Right now!"

Eridan had to force himself to let go of Sollux' arm and walk towards Karkat. He tried to keep up his innocent act, but knew he was failing miserably. He was so pissed off, he knew it was showing on his face. They stepped on the transportalizer and jumped to the next hallway, leaving Sollux and Feferi alone in the control room.

Karkat rounded on him instantly. "What the fuck did you do to Sollux?"

"Nothin'," Eridan said sulkily. Maybe Sollux hadn't squealed after all? "I dunno wwhy you're actin' like this, Kar. I mean, I made him that thing that blocks his psychic powwers, and if it seems like he's real grateful then that's only wwhat's natural considerin' what a kind fuckin' thing I did to improvve his quality of life."

"SHUT UP. Just. Shut up. And stop talking. Right now."

Karkat was pacing back and forth, his hands jammed tight in his pockets. Eridan watched him, trying to gauge what was going on. Not like he was really in _trouble_ or anything. It wasn't like Karkat could really do anything to him. But he could make things pretty uncomfortable with Feferi and all if he wanted. And Eridan didn't really want to blast Karkat out of existence if he didn't have to.

"Look." Karkat stopped pacing and shot a look up at him. "I don't know exactly what happened. But I know what your..." He made a disgusted face. "Your arrangement is. You are a sick fuck, and if I could I'd wring your neck and remove you from the population. You don't deserve to pass your fucked up genetic material on to the next generation, as far as I'm concerned."

So Sollux had told. Someone's neck was getting wrung and it wasn't Eridan's.

"But Kar, you're blowwin' this right outta pro--"

"I SAID SHUT THE FUCK UP!"

Eridan closed his mouth, startled. Karkat's eyes were wide and a little wild. He didn't think he'd ever seen anyone so angry before in his life, and Karkat was usually pretty angry. Karkat had to take a few deep breaths before he could even control himself enough to speak.

"Sollux doesn't want you dead, for some reason. And he seems pretty determined to go through with this stupid disgusting fantasy that you've concocted, for reasons I can't understand. He begged me - I mean, Jegus fucking Christ, actually _begged_ me not to interfere." Karkat drew in a deep breath. "So I'm not."

He pointed a clawed finger directly at Eridan's chest. "But you listen to me. If you hurt him, I mean _really_ hurt him in a way that I decide is too much? I will take you out myself, and damn him if he hates me for it."

Eridan considered and discarded a few responses. There was something in Karkat's eye that actually scared him a little, and he couldn't quite bring himself to be flippant. "You don't gotta wworry," he said finally, and even to his own ears he sounded a bit weak. "This is just a natural stage in our kismesis type relationship, and Sollux is right on board with me and this wwhole thing, like I'm sure he told you."

"Those weren't exactly his words," Karkat said sarcastically. "But he did say that it was worth the price, so fine. It's his life."

That hurt. Eridan swallowed and found himself struggling to maintain his poise again, meet Karkat's eyes. He had hoped that, after that pretty damn magical sex in the water back there, that Sollux would be feeling a bit more contented with this arrangement. Maybe even happy that Eridan had shown him the way.

"Wwe done here?" he asked finally, as royally as he could manage.

Karkat sagged a little, as if disappointed, though Eridan wasn't sure what he was hoping for. "Yeah, we're done."

Eridan turned and activated the transportalizer again.

Back in the control room he swept his gaze around and let it land on Sollux with as much weight as he could muster. The smaller troll was talking to Feferi again, but he looked around immediately at the sound of the transportalizer. "Sol. Wwe're goin' for a wwalk."

Feferi looked concerned, and a little frustrated, but not angry. Hopefully that meant that Sollux hadn't tripped over himself with his apparent eagerness to tell her everything too.

Sollux didn't look surprised - resigned was a better description for it. "Yeah, sure," he said in a subdued tone, and walked towards him. Feferi grabbed his hand and squeezed, and Eridan nearly went for his wand. Why was she always so nice to him? And she barely could spare a glance for Eridan!

It didn't improve his mood, which was pretty damn black right about now as it was.

He controlled himself, barely, long enough to transportalize back out of the control room with his kismesis. Karkat was gone, maybe headed off to talk to someone else or be alone in his room, Eridan didn't care. He was just grateful not to feel Karkat's glare on his back as he led Sollux back to his own room, where they could talk in private.

The moment they had reached his pleasantly cool chamber, moist with water from the pool, he grabbed Sollux by the back of the neck and slammed him face-first into the nearest wall. The collar made a convenient, if tight, handhold, which he slipped two fingers into to hold Sollux in place.

"I thought I told you not to tell anyone!" he snarled. "Kar's real fuckin' pissed at me and I don't even knoww wwhat he thinks I did."

Sollux groaned and scrabbled at the collar with his fingertips, unable to get purchase and relieve the constriction. Eridan watched with satisfaction for a few moments, watching Sollux's face turn yellow and enjoying how he scored his own throat with his claws, causing rivulets of filthy blood to run down his neck.

Finally he let go, and Sollux dropped like a stone to his knees, coughing.

"I didn't... want to tell him," he gasped, kneeling at Eridan's feet where he belonged. Eridan lifted a foot experimentally and put it on Sollux' shoulder, pushing him hard down onto the floor. Sollux grunted and squirmed.

"But you fuckin' _told_ him," Eridan said, grinding his foot into Sollux' back. "So a part of you had to a wwanted somethin'."

"He wouldn't - ow, fuck! - he wouldn't leave me alone about it!" Sollux protested. "I had to tell him thomething."

"And wwhat am I gonna do if he goes and fuckin' tells Fef?" Eridan snapped. "Huh? Wwhat am I gonna do then?"

Sollux muttered something into the floor and Eridan wasn't sure if it was 'deal with it' or 'deserve it', but he saw red.

"Clearly I gotta run through a bit more of a trainin' exercise," Eridan growled. "So you remember that you gotta treat me wwith the proper respect I'm due. Wwe're in this fuckin' thing together, right about noww, and it's up to you to keep me happy. I shouldn't havve to explain myself to you or Kar and listen to him tellin' me that he's gonna take me out if I do anythin' to you that's my goddamn fuckin' right to do."

"Gog, listen to yourthelf," Sollux growled, his voice a little muffled by being pressed to the floor, but perfectly audible. "You're tho thanctimoniouth and full of shit. You fucking pith me off!"

Eridan felt the air contracting around him, and saw energy crackling around Sollux' head. He twisted the gem on his ring and immediately the telekinetic force cut off as Sollux shrieked at the top of his lungs.

He took his foot off of Sollux back and retreated a few steps, watching Sollux curl into a ball and start to shake and rock on the floor, a racking sob torturing his entire body. He looked slight and small there, completely helpless and miserable and pathetic. It had to be hard, having all the visions and voices come back at once, from the way he reacted. Like he wasn't prepared for the onslaught.

Eridan bit his lip, watching. Making himself watch. He had pictured this sort of thing as he made the collar, imagined how powerful he would feel as he used the collar to teach Sollux to be more docile and pleasant to him, and obedient. But he just felt a little nauseous.

"It ain't like I can back out noww," he whispered, sure Sollux couldn't hear him. "It'll get better. You'll see, Sol."

He hopped on the transportalizer and headed back to the main chamber. Let Sollux sweat it out alone in a room where he couldn't leave for a bit, wondering when Eridan would be back and what he would do to him next. He'd be nice and contrite after that, Eridan was sure. And then hopefully just the threat of using the ring would be all he needed in the future.

As he stepped off the pad into the circular room, he twisted the gem again. No sense in leaving Sollux tortured by the voices all that time. He'd made his point, and now Sollux would be just stuck, not in agony.

"Heeeeeeeey Eridan," came an unexpected voice. He turned and smiled at Vriska, who fluttered towards him, trailing sparks. "I hear you've got yourself a kismesis."

Eridan started. Had word travelled that fast? "Oh yeah? Wwhat'd you hear?"

She shrugged. "Just something about you and Sollux spending a lot of time alone in there today," she purred, her eyes sparkling. "Good for you. You want to get something to eat and tell me about it?"

Eridan hadn't intended to leave Sollux alone too long. He'd thought maybe of going to try to talk to Feferi again, but now the thought of going there without Sollux and enduring Karkat's questions and suspicion wasn't appealing. Hanging out with his murder buddy sounded a lot better - Vriska, at least, would probably get what he was doing, and think it was delightful.

"Yeah, let's do that. You're gonna fuckin' lovve this, Vvris."

She hooked her arm around his and they started off down the hall.

====>

Eridan strolled back into the circular room and hopped onto his transportalizer with a bit of a spring in his step. He couldn't remember feeling this flippering good in a really long time. He'd just had a great lunch with Vriska, and had a portion of grubloaf in his captchalogue for his prisoner. He figured by now Sollux would have had a good long time to think about what he had done, and would be good and apologetic. Eridan had spent most of the lunch fantasizing about what was going to happen next.

Vriska had been a good kismesis, but the possibilities of this different sort of dynamic was exciting - even if Vriska also had told him he was sick and twisted. She, at least, had done it with a congratulatory smirk on her face and treated him to an extra portion of food.

He pulled out his wand, just in case, and activated the transportalizer. There was every chance that Sollux had spent the last hour plotting something, and even if Eridan's plan was fool proof - the ring wouldn't work for anyone but him, so what could Sollux really do? - he wouldn't discount the possibility of a violent retaliation.

In fact, he hoped that was exactly what would happen.

So he glanced around alertly the moment he arrived, ready to defend himself if some object came flying at him, but nothing happened. In fact, he didn't see Sollux at all. He looked all around the room from his position, wondering if Sollux had gone into the other room and started messing with his equipment.

Then he looked down.

Sollux was still huddled at the base of the transportalizer pad, where Eridan had left him. Yellowish tear tracks stained his face, and he had bitten through his lower lip at least once. He looked up, blinking his red and blue eyes owlishly as if he had just awakened out of some kind of terrible nightmare.

Then the low-blood troll launched himself at Eridan. It was so sudden that Eridan nearly overbalanced on impact, and he yelled, grabbing for Sollux and getting a fistful of black hair. He nearly dropped his wand, but managed to keep hold of it and bring it around, about to blast his attacker across the room.

But then he realized that Sollux was clinging to him and babbling like a broken, lisping record.

"Fuck, fuck, I'm thorry, ED! I'm thorry! What do you want me to do? I won't, gog, I thwear I won't tell anyone ever again, jutht pleathe don't turn it off again. I can't take it, I _can't_ , gog I'll do anything you want..."

It went on in that vein for a while and Eridan found himself petting Sollux' hair in a vaguely soothing manner, though he hadn't consciously decided to do so. He was utterly floored by the reaction, and feeling more than a little awkward at the way Sollux was clinging and practically snivelling into his thigh. Was it really _this_ bad?

"Jegus, Sol," he said finally, stemming the tide of pleading. "I only turned it off for a minute. You should havve gotten ovver it by now. Frankly I'm a little fuckin' disappointed in you."

"A minute?" Sollux asked, and it sounded like it was him that was floored. His voice was very small. In fact, if he had been scared before, now he sounded downright _petrified_ , and Eridan's mouth went dry. "You were only gone for a minute? It felt like _forever_."

Eridan shook his head, frowning. Something wasn't connecting up here. "No, Sol, I was gone for an _hour_. Wwhat the fuck is wwrong wwith you?"

"But..." Sollux looked up finally, sitting back on his heels. He scrubbed at his eyes and looked to be trying to compose himself. "It only jutht thtopped, jutht now when you got back."

"What?" Eridan blinked down at him in confusion and consternation, then looked at his ring. He had definitely turned the jewel back into the 'on' position as soon as he teleported away. He remembered it clearly. "Oh. Fuck."

Sollux got to his feet slowly. He was still looking at Eridan like he might turn the collar off again at any moment, nervous and wary. "...What?"

Eridan hesitated. He could tell Sollux that it had all been intentional, of course. That'd probably be what royalty in a position like this should do. Sollux would probably do anything at all if he thought Eridan would leave him in that state for over an hour just at a whim. And that thought was a little arousing.

But it was also a little sad. If he were honest with himself, he liked Sollux better when the other troll was fighting back, so long as Eridan always _won_. This frightened, begging Sollux was, as he had said before, disappointing. Did he really want a slave?

No, he didn't. Not really.

He sighed. "I turned it off right away, Sol. I swwear. I only meant you to steww in here, think ovver what you did and howw you wwere gonna deal wwith this in a better wway next time. But, uh." He swallowed. "I guess wwe havve an issue with range."

"Huh?" Sollux stared at him for a moment. "You mean... the ring doethn't work if you're too far away from me?"

"Looks like," Eridan admitted, crooking a hesitant smile. "Sorry, Sol. I mean, you can't blame me for not knowwin' that. It's all a bit of an experiment as it is, right? Looks like this room is too far awway so the signal didn't get back to reactivvate it. Or maybe if the collar and ring get too far apart, the collar shuts off. No wway to knoww right noww."

Sollux sat down hard on the edge of the transportalizer and buried his face in his hands. "Gog, thith ith tho fucking typical. You can't even fucking...break me properly. It hath to be an acthident."

Okay, that was a bit unfair. Like Eridan was a bad...what? A bad sadist? That was just stupid. It wasn't like sadism was a skill you could be bad at.

Right?

He shifted from foot to foot for a moment, watching Sollux. He wasn't sure if the other troll was laughing or not. His shoulders were shaking a little. He wasn't crying, was he? He tried to casually peer around him to see, but couldn't tell.

"Wwell, uh, anywway that's ovver and done wwith and wwe learned somethin'," he said, as firmly as he could manage.

Sollux didn't reply.

Eridan was starting to feel a little frantic. What should he do? He had really screwed this up, but it wasn't like it was his fault or anything. Why was Sollux acting like this? He had lived his whole life with those voices and visions. It wasn't like a couple of hours without them should undo all of his coping mechanisms completely. So why was he acting like Eridan had really hurt him so badly? You would think that regardless of how bad that initial rush when the collar first turned off had been, he would have still been able to cope by the end of an hour.

"Sol?" he asked tentatively. "Wwhat's wwrong?"

"Nothing," Sollux said, and lifted his head. Eridan was relieved to see no sign of fresh tears, but there was a hollow look in Sollux' eyes that he didn't like. "What do you want me to do for you now?"

Eridan was momentarily stymied by the question. There were lots of things he wanted Sollux to do, but none of them seemed really like what he was in the mood for right _now_.

Well, okay. Firstly he wanted Sollux to stop looking at him like he'd just killed his lusus.

"Don't fuckin' be like that," he said, frowning. "I told you I didn't do it on purpose!"

"Yeah," Sollux said solemnly. "But nektht time it'll be on purpothe."

Eridan's breath caught in his throat and he closed his mouth, blinking. He had a point.

"Wwell," he said, floundering. "There's nothin' saying there'll havve to be a next time, so long as you're good. And...and besides, you're bein' real fucking dramatic about this wwhole thing! You'vve had these vvisions your wwhole life. I bet you're just pretending to be so freaked out so I'll pity you or somethin' and wwe'll shift quadrants, but I'm not gonna, so givve it up!"

Sollux' face darkened. "I'm being _dramatic_? Fuck you, ED! You don't know what it'th like, tho don't tell me I'm being dramatic! I don't know ekthactly why, but it theemth like when it hitth me again tho hard after not having any, it triggerth visionth worthe than anything I've ever had before! You don't know...you don't know what I wath theeing..." His voice broke and he looked away, biting hard at his lip.

Eridan saw yellow blood welling up around his teeth and he jerked forward towards Sollux as if on strings. He stopped after only a step and stood still again, feeling at loose ends and not knowing what he had even intended to do.

"Wwhat did you see?" he asked softly, his heart beating a little faster.

Sollux closed his eyes and shook his head, taking a deep breath and letting it out. "I...keep theeing Nepeta, Equiuth and Tavroth dying. And...Vrithka, and Gamthee. And I don't know... You and ff, and Kanaya, too, but that'th confuthing. I feel like I can't thee that properly. But it'th all tho intenthe, and there'th nothing I can do to thtop any of it."

Eridan felt like he'd been dashed with cold water. He shivered and drew his cloak around himself a little more. "This...isn't your other vvision from before?" he asked cautiously. "That we'd all die once?"

Sollux shook his head again. "No, it could be related to that, but that one'th already come true anyway. Thith ith new."

Eridan swallowed. An oppressive silence settled over both of them. The good mood he'd had coming back from lunch was completely gone, to the point where he couldn't quite imagine ever feeling that happiness and hope again. He was going to die, and so were nearly all the rest of them.

He had to think about this. But not right now.

"Wwell," he said slowly. "I guess wwe need to do somethin' about that vvision, but as for you an me, that's a separate issue."

Sollux glanced up at him, eyebrows knitted in wary confusion. "Sure, I guess it ith."

"No matter wwhat sort of fucked up shit you wwould normally see, you wwon't havve to see it so long as you keep me happy," Eridan said firmly, warming up to the subject. "And so you could say it's your job to cheer me up right about noww, and you're bein' a depressivve kinda person instead."

Sollux blinked, then groaned and rubbed his forehead with his fingers. "You thellfish athhole. You _would_ make thith all about you."

"It is all about me a course," Eridan replied, reassured by the reaction. "Bein' that I'm your master now, and you fuckin' belong to me, regardless of anyfin else that might be goin' on." Sollux wasn't happy, but at least he wasn't _crying_ anymore, or looking at him with that hollow, almost broken expression. So Eridan considered this a success.

He reached into his captchalogue and retrieved the wrapped package, then tossed it to Sollux. "Here, you gotta be hungry. Eat that wwhile I take care of a thing or twwo."

Sollux looked at the package without much enthusiasm, but Eridan turned on his heel and strode into the next room where all of his equipment was. As he walked away, he heard the wrapping crinkling as Sollux opened it and smirked, his spirits rising another notch.

All right then. They would move on from that depressing conversation, and things would get better from here on out. He could do this.

He walked to the pile of punched cards he had generated and began sorting through them, considering how to create what he wanted to make next. He had an idea or two, and it was just a matter of working through the right combinations in the right order to get what he wanted. He was getting pretty good at it, actually.

As he placed the final re-shaped cylinder onto the alchemiter and punched the button, Sollux walked into the room, looking around with curiosity at the array of equipment.

"What are you doing?" the smaller troll asked, poking at Eridan's stack of captchalogue cards and turning them over one by one to see the pictures on them. Eridan twitched and decided to ignore it. He wasn't hurting anything. In fact, he seemed to be carefully keeping them in order.

"I'm makin' something you're gonna hate," Eridan said with a smirk.

"Joy."

The objects appeared on the platform and Eridan picked them up, coiling the lengths of fabric in his hands before Sollux could get a good look at them. Then he walked back out into the next room.

Sollux trailed after him. Good, he had his attention.

"What ith it?"

"You'll see."

"Come on, don't be an ath, not that that'th pothible for you."

"Shut your fuckin' mouth, wworm."

He shrugged out of his cape and scarf and dove into the water, feeling his gills expand greedily to suck in the water. There was nothing quite like swimming, though he had never spent as much time in the water as Feferi did. The thought of, for example, fucking on land was just boring.

He had to admit that the moment he realized Sollux couldn't swim, his bone bulge had split in excitement. And he had thought of this latest before they had even finished having sex earlier.

He surfaced and reached up, uncoiling the two objects he'd made. They were simple things, just two long sashes with loops on one end and a metal spike on the other. With a bit of effort and a few blows with the stock of Ahab's Revenge, he had driven the spikes into the wall about a foot from the surface of the water. Then he swam back towards the edge of the pool.

"Strip and get into the wwater, Sol."

Sollux was standing at the edge of the pool, frowning at the new decorations. "What the hell are those thuppothed to be?"

"Hand holds. Get in the fuckin' wwater."

Sollux eyed him skeptically. "I'm going to hate hand holdth?"

Eridan reached him and put a hand on the edge of the pool. His new ring glittered silver, a contrast to the gold of the rest of his jewellery. "Do I gotta ask again?"

Sollux flushed and reached to pull off his shirt. "Jeguth no. Keep your shirt on, ED."

Eridan backstroked a little and watched as Sollux stripped off his clothes. He had been shocked when he first saw his...deformity, and he still wondered if anyone had seen it besides him. Had Aradia ever gotten that far with Sollux before her death? He wasn't even sure if they had officially been matesprits before then, so it was likely she hadn't.

Sure, it was weird. And Eridan honestly wondered why he didn't find it disgusting. But somehow it thrilled him to know that Sollux was so afraid to show him, so ashamed of his own nude body. It made him belong to Eridan just that little bit more.

So he watched avidly as every stitch fell away before his eyes.

When Sollux was naked, he quickly slipped into the water, keeping a death grip on the edge of the pool and watching Eridan like a trapped animal backed into a corner. Even that was arousing, and Eridan felt his body stir as he kicked towards him again. In a second, Sollux would be completely in his power again - almost completely, but Eridan had a plan for those last few details, too.

He reached for the other boy and slipped his arms around him, drawing him close, and putting a foot on the wall. He kicked hard ,and Sollux' hands lost their grip on the rim of the pool. With a whimper, Sollux grabbed onto Eridan and clung, his fingers curling tightly in his waterlogged shirt.

Eridan couldn't help but let out a soft groan of desire as his kismesis clutched onto him. Yes, _this_ was what he had wanted.

Sollux, needing him desperately.

Sollux, totally in his power, and only hating him all the more for his victory.

Sollux, never, ever able to leave him.

He reached the far wall and stopped, treading water with lazy strokes of his feet. "Hang onto these, Sol," he said, reaching up to disengage Sollux' fingers from his shirt.

The smaller troll eyed him as he reached out obediently and wound his arm around one of the hand holds. "Thith ith thtupid," he said. "What'th the big deal?"

Instead of answering, Eridan dove deeply, well out of Sollux' reach. He surfaced a few feet away and observed Sollux with satisfaction, clinging to the wall and trapped, looking around uncertainly as Eridan backstroked further away.

"Hey, where are you going?" Sollux asked, a note of panic entering his voice. "I thought you were going to..."

"I'll go ahead and fuck you wwhen I'm in the fuckin' mood," Eridan said lazily, boosting himself out of the pool. "You just stay right there, 'till I wwant you."

"Oh gog, you..." Words seemed to fail Sollux and he banged his forehead a few times against the wall in frustration. "I could uthe my powerth to get out!" he called after Eridan as he strolled away, but Eridan smirked.

"But you wwon't if you knoww wwhat's good for you," he tossed over his shoulder as he walked back to his stack of cards. There was one more thing he wanted to make, and then he'd definitely get around to fucking his prisoner. He was already so aroused it was a bit uncomfortable walking around getting things ready.

This one was much more complex. It took several tries, and iterations before he was reasonably certain he had what he wanted, just the way he wanted it.

Finally he walked back out to the main room and took a look at Sollux. The other troll was still clinging to the wall, looking sulky and irritated, but obediently still in the water. Perfect.

"Finished polishing your bone bulge?" Sollux snarled. "I'm getting bored out here."

"You wwon't be bored much longer I think," Eridan said. This time he peeled out of his clothes, taking his time, watching Sollux watching him. Unlike Sollux, he didn't have anything to be ashamed of in his body. He was tall and slender, but solidly built. Five slashes ran down his sides, under his ribs, where his gills were.

He slipped into the water and swam towards the trapped troll, relishing this. Sollux was trapped now, but it was only about to get worse for him in a moment, and Eridan couldn't wait to unveil his latest creation.

Sollux was glaring at Eridan as he paused next to him and his head broke the surface again. "Pleathe tell me you were making me a rebreather."

"Don't be fuckin' stupid," Eridan said, grinning. "Turn around, Sol. Face the wwall."

Sollux worried at his lower lip, then groaned and pushed himself around awkwardly, using the sashes and a hand on the wall to reorient his body. Then he grabbed onto the other sash and leaned his forehead against the wall, seeming to steady himself.

Eridan rather liked that position on him.

He pulled the new object out of his captchalogue and snapped the new ring around Sollux' neck just above the old one. Little metal claws on the lower part of the ring caught around the first collar and held fast as he stroked them with his fingers.

Sollux stiffened the instant he felt the metal close around his throat, and whirled as Eridan drew back a foot or two to admire his handiwork. "What the fuck ith thith?" he demanded.

Eridan eyed him, feeling his heart begin to speed up a little. Now was the test. "You don't like it?" He smirked, slow and challenging. "Then fuckin' try to do somethin' about it. Blast me. Come on. I'll givve ya one free shot - no punishment, I swwear."

Sollux paled, then gave a snarl of rage and freed one hand, making a violent gesture at Eridan.

Nothing happened.

"You _athhole_!" Sollux snarled, reaching for the collar. "I'm done with thith! I'm calling thith whole thing off!"

That was probably a pretty foolish thing to do right now, considering he was in a pool of water, but Eridan wasn't worried. Sollux scrabbled at the catch, but the second collar held the first one closed, and couldn't be opened by Sollux at all.

Eridan let him struggle with it for a few moments, then swam back towards him. "You can't take it off noww," he said, catching his wrist. Sollux tried to punch him, but his other hand was tangled in the sash, and Eridan grabbed it before he could get it untangled. Sollux yelled and writhed, kicking out, but he wasn't used to trying to fight in the water, and Eridan easily pinned his legs.

He was so fuckin' hard.

Leaning close, he bit Sollux' ear. The smaller troll groaned and his eyes rolled back in his head. "You're bein' dramatic again, wworm," Eridan murmured, licking blood from his lips. "I'll take the second one off later. You aren't gonna be totally helpless, except in _this_ room, with me. You get me?"

Sollux was breathing hard and fast, his chest rising and falling against Eridan's. The aquatic troll shifted his hips forward and smirked as he felt Sollux' arousal. He wasn't sure if it was this latest fight that had gotten him going, or if it were the anticipation as he waited for Eridan to return, but Sollux wasn't nearly as unhappy about this as he pretended to be.

"I get you," Sollux growled, and his head snapped forward. Eridan jerked back, but Sollux still got his shoulder, his teeth sinking deep into his flesh. At least it hadn't been his throat - Eridan was pretty sure that was what he was going for.

Eridan laughed, delighted, and grabbed Sollux' hair. He forced his head up and back, and licked at his throat while the smaller troll squirmed impotently. "Bad boy," he growled, and bit down again. Sollux' breathing hitched as blood flooded into Eridan's mouth.

Sollux had one hand free now, and he grabbed blindly for Eridan, catching one horn. Eridan closed his eyes with a groan, his knees weakening, and lifted his head, turning his head to one side to spit out a mouthful of yellow blood.

"Turn the fuck around again," he ordered, sliding a knee between Sollux' legs and rubbing against his bulge, feeling the hardening flesh beneath it, and the nooks behind that. Sollux squirmed against his thigh, gasping, then nodded his acquiescence.

Eridan tugged his horn out of Sollux' grasp and grabbed his narrow hips in both hands, pulling him forward and then turning him. Sollux lost his grip on the sashes for a moment and scrabbled helplessly for them, hanging on for dear life as he settled against the wall again.

For a moment, Eridan paused to savour this. Blood dripped down Sollux' neck from the marks left by Eridan's teeth, and his back was exposed, vulnerable. The twin bands of the two collars were glittering slashes across his throat, proof of Eridan's victory over him.

Eridan could have come right then.

But he wasn't done. He grabbed Sollux' hips again and nudged his legs apart. Sollux tensed, his fingers curling into tight fists around the sashes, and Eridan pushed forward, driving himself into one of Sollux' nooks.

Sollux cried out and bucked against him, and Eridan used that movement to force his legs wider. He reached for the sashes himself, grabbing them just above Sollux' hands and pulling himself forward. Since he couldn't drag Sollux beneath the water and fuck him properly, he needed some way to brace himself. This was the other reason he'd made these.

Pinned between Eridan and the wall, Sollux could do nothing but hang on for dear life as Eridan thrust into him.

Eridan was so worked up, it didn't take long before he was spilling into Sollux with a groan and a shudder.

Sollux whined in the back of his throat as Eridan began to pull back. "Damnit, don't...don't leave me like thith..."

Chuckling breathlessly, Eridan slipped a hand down and wrapped his fingers around Sollux' cocks, stroking with harsh pulls. "Fuckin' desperate for me, loww-blood slut," he murmured into Sollux' ear as the other troll writhed and gasped against him.

"Fuck. You."

Eridan just laughed again, and worked him harder until Sollux was shuddering and jerking in his own orgasm, and finally sagged lower in the water, only the way the sashes were tangled around his arms keeping him from sinking beneath the surface.

For a moment, Eridan just drank in the sight of him, then he checked the sashes to make sure they were secure.

Sollux was just starting to stir when Eridan kicked away and swam towards the edge.

"Hey!" Sollux twisted around, eyes wide. "You can't jutht leave me here!"

"I can do wwhatever I wwant," Eridan said, climbing out of the pool and grabbing a towel.

Sollux' epithets followed him right through getting dressed again and into the next room, where he threw himself into a chair and closed his eyes, a goofy, satisfied smile on his face as he listened to his kismesis' frustrated tantrum in the next room.

Yeah. Life was finally starting to go the way Eridan wanted.


End file.
